self-ruling

adjective

ˌself-ˈrü-liŋ How to pronounce self-ruling (audio)
Definition of self-rulingnext
1
as in democratic
of, relating to, or favoring political democracy having rid itself of the yoke of colonialism, the new nation chose to be a self-ruling state

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in independent
not being under the rule or control of another was granted special status as a self-ruling province

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of self-ruling But the real change might be in East Asia, where Kim’s belligerence and rising fears regarding China’s designs on self-ruling Taiwan had already reenergized the nuclear debate. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 28 Mar. 2026 Like Assad before him, Sharaa now faces complex negotiations toward bringing these self-ruling territories under his command. — Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025 In recent years, Beijing has ramped up economic, diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan – a self-ruling democracy the Chinese Communist Party claims as its own despite having never governed it. — Eric Cheung, CNN, 13 Mar. 2023 In a meeting earlier with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Raisi expressed support for China's crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong and claim to self-ruling democratic Taiwan. — Bradford Betz, Fox News, 17 Feb. 2023 See All Example Sentences for self-ruling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-ruling
  1. democratic
  2. independent
  3. autonomous
  4. sovereign
  5. separate
Adjective
  • Without a mathematical component, education for citizenship leaves students only partially prepared for democratic participation.
    — Ismar Volić, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2026
  • The most consequential result of the midterms has been to break the fever of Trumpism and to diminish its threat to democratic institutions, to personal and civil liberties, and to decency itself.
    — David Remnick, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of democratic
Adjective
  • Public reporting, independent audits and whistleblower protections should help expose political interference and enforce these safeguards.
    — Carole LaBonne, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2026
  • However, the result has not yet undergone full independent academic review.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of independent
Adjective
  • The Cybertruck’s successor, the Cybercab, hopes to compete with Google’s driverless Waymo project, though neither vehicle is capable of those fully autonomous road trips yet.
    — Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Rather than displacing traditional weapons manufacturers, the rise of drones and autonomous warfare is creating new business for many of the same companies.
    — Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of autonomous
Adjective
  • Custody ambitions Unlike commercial vaults, the new facility will be operated by Singapore’s central bank, offering foreign monetary authorities an alternative sovereign custodian for their gold.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Referring to the capture of Maduro, one article accused Hegseth of kidnapping a sovereign foreign leader.
    — Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of sovereign
Adjective
  • Rather than relying on separate mechanisms for navigating terrain and manipulating objects, the robots can use their flexible bodies and gripping claws to perform both functions.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 12 Nov. 2026
  • But Senate Republicans vented their frustrations in three separate meetings Tuesday after an election wipeout that cost them at least seven Senate seats.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of separate

Browse Nearby Words

self-rule
self-ruling
self-sacrifice
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Self-ruling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-ruling. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
speech-bubble-untangle
Simplify The Convoluted Expression Quiz A quiz that’s as “uncomplicated as a round de...
See All